Italy's lower house of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, Wednesday gave final approval to the conservative government's 25-billion-euro (32.4-billion-dollar) austerity package. The measure passed with 329 votes for and 275 against, dpa reported. As in the upper house Senate, which approved the measure last week, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's governing coalition resorted to a confidence vote to ensure that the budget cuts, unpopular also among many conservatives, would pass the parliamentary test. Defeat in a vote of confidence, would have forced the government to resign. Since taking office in May 2008, billionaire-turned-politician Berlusconi has relied on more than 30 votes of confidence to steamroll legislation through parliament. Regional authorities have been particularly vocal in their condemnation of the cuts which Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti has said are essential to keep public spending in check. Observers have pointed out that given Italy's relatively contained budget deficit - 5.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of 2009 - the proposed cuts for 2011-12 are not as drastic as those implemented by Greece, Ireland or Spain. But they say Tremonti was prompted to act due to concern that Italy could struggle to maintain payments on its debt which is projected by some economists to rise to 120 per cent of GDP by the end of 2011.
